Flash has figured out it's pretty entertaining to chew on the clips in the cross ties.
Today this game transferred over to trying to chew on me when I am leading him, especially when we take off into a trot. Naughty! So I am deployed several different tactics to let him know that is not okay.
1) John Lyons approach - you have 3 seconds to let him know it's the end of his world for that behavior then go back to acting as if nothing has happened. - So I stopped, yelled and screamed and got in his space (to back him up). Then it was right back to walking as if nothing happened.
2) direct his attention elsewhere - so if we are trotting along and he reaches down with teeth, I stop and send him forward into lunging around me for a a few minutes or stop and back up.
These two approaches seemed to have made a difference. After 4 times with a consistent "that's not okay" response from me, he did not offer his teeth at me again.
Not to say he won't try it again. But I will be ready for him with the same responses... patience and consistency.
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